


the winner takes it all

by lucylikestowrite



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Ava is Hot and it annoys Sara because she wants to Hate her, F/F, Football | Soccer, Rivals, theres a lil tiny bit of background amaya/zari
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 21:25:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13221567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucylikestowrite/pseuds/lucylikestowrite
Summary: Sara is the captain of a team of soccer players who can't really play soccer.Ava is the hot captain of the rival team, who also happens to be Sara's standoffish neighbor.





	the winner takes it all

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blueboringers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboringers/gifts).



> Well, it's been a wild last couple of weeks of 2017! I have fallen HEAD OVER HEELS for a new ship, and have SO MUCH MORE in the pipeline for you all. This is just a quick, un-betaed fic, inspired by [this](https://twitter.com/rickycoronaa/status/946948099963891713) tweet which I saw yesterday in the middle of a Jes MacAllan spiral that I was in. I wanted to post one more thing before the New Year, and thought I would write a little something for my friend who loves soccer. Disclaimer: despite being British, I know approx zero about soccer (football), so please ignore any discrepancies. Enjoy.

Sara Lance hates her neighbor.

They've lived next door to each other their entire lives, and Ava Sharpe has never been anything but distant and standoffish, even as a child.

It pisses Sara off, because, according to every book, TV show and movie she's ever seen, they should be best friends. And they're certainly not.

Sara tried to extend the hand of friendship many times through her childhood. And then one day, she just stopped trying. Ava was destined to be a mysterious figure, and Sara accepted that. Her feelings were neutral.

And then Ava joined the soccer team at her posh private school out of town. This was an affront to Sara on its own, because soccer had always been her thing. But of course Ava had to get promoted to Captain an entire year before Sara was, and under her lead, they beat West High every single time they played.

In fairness, before Ava became Captain, their track record against Sara’s school had been almost perfect, but now, West High hadn’t won a single game against them in a year and a half, or even scored a goal, and it was infuriating.

So, Sara hates Ava now. Every single thing she does pisses Sara off, especially her current favourite activity: rubbing the fact that that she has a boyfriend in Sara’s face.

It isn't like Sara needed to be dating someone, but it's quite difficult not to think about how lonely she is when she hears their conversations through the open window facing hers.

And none of this is helped by the fact that, at some point, Ava got really, really hot, and at some point after that, it became the only thing Sara could think about. Which is an annoying situation to be in, and frankly, makes her hate Ava even more.

As a 17-year-old, Sara doesn't really have mortal enemies, but she considers her stuck-up neighbor to be pretty close. Ava probably doesn't know that she's  Sara’s enemy (or maybe she does) but that doesn't matter.

What matters is that every time Ava does something that pisses Sara off (look at her, be in her room in her house, exist), it makes Sara even more eager to beat them in the next game they have.

The problem is that their team really just… isn't very good.

It isn't for lack of trying, or lack of teamwork. They just struggle to score points. Ever, really.

Sara loves her team, but sometimes she wishes that they were a bit better at soccer.

Amaya and Zari are dating, and were almost always more interested in each other than practice.

Gideon is robotic to the max, never quite grasping the dodging and fluidity needed to be a successful soccer player.

Kendra is incredibly enthusiastic, but a bit clumsy, which results in her spending half the season injured, waiting to heal and get back in the game. At this moment, she was in good health, and Sara hoped and prayed it would stay that way.

Helen is lovely, but always seems slightly out of the touch with everything, as if she’s in the wrong place or time.

Felicity only seems to turn up to practice half the time, and when she does, the coach has to spend most of the time telling her that phones are banned on the pitch.

Kuasa, Amaya’s cousin, is scary, but seems to have an actual talent - fluidity where Gideon is lacking it.

Sara doesn't even know the names of the rest of the team. They regularly change. Everyone seems to get discouraged by their distinct lack of wins, so there's a pretty high drop-out rate.

Ava’s team, on the other hand, is, of course, perfect. Her school actually actively recruited soccer players, so they're pretty much the dream team.

It’s enough to keep Sara in a near constant state of rage, which is the state she finds herself in at their next practice.

Their next game with Ava’s team is three weeks away, she’s determined to at least score a goal. It’s a knockout game, and although it’s almost certain they’re going out, she’d like to do it with some sort of dignity.

When she voices this desire, and the rest of her team looks at her, doubtful.

“We've literally never scored a goal against the Hunter School,” Felicity says, flipping through their results on her phone and showing it to Sara. Sara wished that this was one of the practices she'd decided to skip.

“That's not helpful, Felicity,” Sara replies. “And isn't the spirit.”

“No, it's called being realistic,” Zari says, crossing her arms. Next to her, Amaya nods in solidarity.

“Why are you focusing so much on this game with Hunter?” Amaya asks. “We’re playing East High before then, and we might actually have a chance of beating them.”

“It's because she's got a crush on the captain,” Zari says in a voice that is not even trying to be a whisper.

Amaya nods in recognition. Sara tries not to blush.

“I do not,” she says, in a way that she knows can’t be convincing.

Kendra laughs. “Whatever you say, Captain.”

“I do say,” Sara says, feeling like a child.

Despite their teasing, Sara feels like she notices them trying a bit harder in practice than they usually do.

They might be dysfunctional, but they all love each other like a family, and they also know how much Sara, the only one of them with real talent, cares about the game.

They actually beat East High, something that certainly wasn't a given, and it gives them a boost when the time comes for the match against the Hunter School.

It's an away game, which means Sara, as one of the only ones with a car, has to drive half the team there in her piece of shit van. The van is about ten million years old, falling apart, and has been jokingly named the Waverider. Sara is sure that one day it's going to completely fall apart, but so far, it's still running.

She parks as far away from the pitch as she can. Ava already knows what her van looks like, but she doesn't need to give the rest of her perfect team any sort of fodder.

Their school is ridiculous. It's the exact opposite of the blocky architecture that makes up their school.

It's old, ornate and gothic. Everything about it is pretty, which just makes Sara even more annoyed.

When they get to the pitch, Ava’s entire team is already there, waiting.

“You're late,” Ava says.

Sara looks at her phone. “It's one minute past four.”

“Still late.”

“Whatever,” Sara replies, her mind too focused on the game to think of some witty retort.

Ava doesn't say anything, just stares daggers at Sara, her eyes narrowed, her arms crossed.

Her hair is pulled off her face in a tight bun. Sara wondered if there was ever a time when she didn't look put together.

Her mind briefly wanders, and she's thinking of being the one who makes that happen.

She blinks, and someone is talking. The ref has appeared, a coin in hand.

Sara wins the toss, and it feels like good luck.

Ava doesn't stop glaring.

Sara smiles at her, the ball in her hands. She considers doing one of the many tricks that she’s spent way too long over the years learning, but she knows Ava would just have something to say about it.

They're going to win this. That's what she tells herself as they kick off, and that's what she's telling herself for all of five minutes before Ava scores.

Ava’s just… really good at soccer, and part of Sara just wants to stop and watch and learn, but there's a game to play, so when play restarts after the goal, she's moving faster, dodging more, her heart pounding.

Of course, still nothing happens. Ava scores again, and again in the second half. She’s a blur on the field, and yet, somehow, every time she stops, she’s still perfectly put together. Sara, meanwhile, is a mess. Her hair is falling out of its ponytail, and she’s covered in sweat. She knows she’s going to ache like hell the next day.

And then, two minutes from the end of the game, all of a sudden she has the ball, and she's closer to their goal than she's ever been, and then Ava is right in front of her, and Sara maybe, maybe hits out with her foot in a way that might not be entirely within the rules of the game.

Ava trips, losing her balance. Sara sees a flash of anger in her eyes, and somehow, as she goes down, she manages to get a handful of Sara’s ponytail, yanking her down.

They collapse on the ground. Somehow Sara has ended up under Ava. Their faces are closer than they’ve ever had reason to, and Sara briefly considers closing the gap. But the grass is cold and hard through her shirt, and she quickly comes crashing down to reality.

They realise at the same time that Ava’s hand is still tugging at Sara’s hair, and Ava drops her hand, her expression horrified.

Sara isn't sure if that's because she's broken the rules or touched Sara, but it seems like Ava would consider both equally disgusting.

They struggle up, brushing grass off their kits.

Sara’s hand goes to her head, her scalp still smarting. “You know, I think I enjoyed it more when your boyfriend was pulling my hair.”

Ava’s mouth falls open.

Someone gasps. Sara realised she probably said it louder than she meant. In fact, she said it quite loudly.

Ava glances to her right, and Sara follows her gaze.

Ava’s boyfriend is right there. He's a rather insipid looking creature. His name is George, or Greg, or Gary.

Sara decides that she might as well take it further, and winks at him.

He physically reacts, jerking away as if she’s punched him.

Ava is still standing still. Her expression is unreadable, but she looks as close to vulnerable as Sara has ever seen her.

And then she sees Sara looking at her, and her hands curl, and that's when the ref seems to decide that it's probably time to end the match.

Sara doesn't need anyone to tell her twice. She's out of there, leaving the pitch before Ava has a chance to respond. She pauses briefly to scoop up her bag and ball from the sidelines, and then she's gone.

She's almost at the Waverider (the name is stuck in her head now, even if it was a joke at first) when she hears footsteps behind her.

She turns, expecting one of her teammates, but it's Ava. She sighs, leaning over to try to catch a glimpse of one of her friends, but there's no-one in sight.

Ava still looks shaken. A wisp of her has escaped from her bun. She's breathing heavily, as if she's just run to catch Sara up, and maybe she has, because Sara had got out of there pretty sharpish.

“That was a joke, right?” Ava asks, and Sara almost laughs, only restraining herself because Ava’s face is still so stern.

She leans against the Waverider, spinning the ball between her hands.

“Yeah, it was a joke. I didn't actually fuck your boyfriend.”

“Oh. Okay. Good.”

“Is that all? Just wanted to check I hadn't actually stolen your precious Gerry?”

Ava blinks. “Gary.”

“Whatever.” She tosses the ball. Ava's eyes follow it upwards. It lands back in Sara’s hands with a thud.

“Is there a reason why you're still here?” Sara asks, throwing it again, hoping she looks chill, because, quite frankly, she’s freaking out. She hasn’t had a conversation this long with Ava in years and not only is she worried as to what Ava wants, she’s also finding that the longer she’s staring at her, the more attracted she’s getting to her, and it’s becoming a problem.

It’s a crush, that’s what it is. And it’s definitely a problem.

She swallows, catching the ball for the final time, and holding on tight, like it can be some sort of barrier between them.

“No.” Ava turns away, then turns back half a second later. “Yes.”

She steps closer. There's a tiny flush of pink on her cheeks.

She takes the ball from Sara’s hands, throwing it somewhere, and before Sara can make any objection, Ava is kissing her, her hands on Sara’s neck.

Sara’s too shocked to do anything. When Ava pulls away, Sara’s eyes are still wide open.

“Now I'm done,” Ava says, walking away.

Sara is still frozen. Five seconds later, she unfreezes, and this time she's the one chasing at Ava’s quickly receding body, grabbing her ball from where it's threatening to disappear into the underbrush and never be seen again.

“What the fuck was that?”

Ava turns around, her expression confused, as if she wasn't expecting Sara to want some sort of explanation.

“You're with Grant.”

“Clearly not,” Ava says, completely ignoring the name.

“Right.” They're still walking. Sara isn't sure where they're going. Sara considers what she's just said. “Not right. You've got a boyfriend. I know you’ve got a boyfriend.”

Ava stops. Sara doesn't notice for a split second and keeps walking, before realising and back-pedalling.

“He was more of a means to an end.”

Sara cocks an eyebrow.

“The end being?”

Ava actually blushes. “You.”

“As in… You were trying to make me jealous?”

This time, it's her hands that pull Ava in, letting go of the ball still under her arm. She hears it roll away as her mouth finds Ava’s.

This time, she closes her eyes.

From somewhere, she hears a whoop which sounds vaguely like Zari.

She puts a middle finger up, hoping it's vaguely in the right direction.

They break apart, and Ava smiles.

Sara can't remember the last time she saw her smile. It makes her more than a bit more likeable.

“Just so you know, this doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you on the pitch,” Sara says, a grin on her face.

“I don’t think anyone who’s known you your whole life could rationally expect you to go easy on anyone, ever."


End file.
